I took time out for a lengthy vacation, half of it spent abroad and half among the 85% of Chapel Hill residents who don’t realize Chapel Hill has a town council. Stepping back gave me a new perspective on town business and how lives are lived by people who feel fulfilled, even if they know […]
All posts in category Environment
Greene Tract series continues
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 27, 2020
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/01/27/greene-tract-series-continues/
Speak for the trees
When development proposals came before Town Council, Jim Ward, council member from 1999 to 2015, could be relied upon to speak for the trees. When I joined council and he did not get re-elected, I took on that mantle. Now I’m leaving council, and no one has emerged to protect our environment in this fundamental […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 2, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/02/speak-for-the-trees/
Managing growth
I had forgotten how many, many stars abide in the sky until this past week when I went to a place dark enough to see them. Light pollution wipes them from visibility. When I lived in Manhattan, I never saw a star outside of the planetarium. Over time, light pollution has crept into Chapel Hill, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 12, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/08/12/managing-growth/
Cost of combating climate change
Town Council gets it: Climate change is real. At our April 17 meeting, we reviewed a draft action plan for reducing our carbon footprint. The plan called for requiring solar panels on 80% of the rooftop area on all development proposals that needed a rezoning to proceed. State law prohibits municipalities from requiring new construction […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on April 29, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/04/29/cost-of-combating-climate-change/
Mortgaging Our Transit Future
By Bonnie Hauser I’m fascinated by the enthusiastic support that many of our elected officials have for Durham Orange Light Rail (DOLRT). County leaders have already committed nearly $2 billion of local sales taxes and fees to the $3.3 billion project and are preparing to commit more. Do they understand the growing risks and concerns […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on February 4, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/02/04/mortgaging-our-transit-future/
Resiliency
Do weather events seem more severe in recent years? The Triangle Regional Resilience Partnership checked our perceptions against the data and found that, yes, flooding of greater intensity happens more frequently, and droughts last longer. The trajectory is unlikely to reverse itself anytime soon, despite our efforts to take the bus more frequently or adjust […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 12, 2018
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/11/12/resiliency/
Vote like it’s finals
After my first child was born, I considered making a career change that would involve going back to college for several classes. I lived in New York City at the time, and my babysitter was a student at a different college than the one I attended. All of us relied on public transit to get […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 22, 2018
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/10/22/vote-like-its-finals/
The Florence side of trees
After our week of worry, it feels like we dodged a bullet when Hurricane Florence shifted south. In Chapel Hill, the power outages were short-lived, the flooding no worse than expected, and no one has died. Those of us who lived here through Hurricane Fran feel a guilty relief — and empathy after seeing the […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 24, 2018
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/09/24/the-florence-side-of-trees/
The value of green
To hear business leaders and major investors speak in favor of the need for greenspace as density increases gave me hope. At the Eggs With Elected Officials gathering on April 18, sponsored by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, the topic of what to do with the 36 acres the town had purchased from American […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 7, 2018
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/05/07/the-value-of-green/
Happier New Year
We started a new tradition this New Year’s Eve – we wrote all the bad things that happened in 2017 on little slips of paper, then tossed them into the fireplace. It was not as big of a bonfire as I expected, given the national politics and ripples into global and state affairs. And it […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 1, 2018
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/01/01/happier-new-year/